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Are those Christmas presents for your children hazardous to their health?

Bill Moak, Consumer Watch
Published 7:00 a.m. CT Nov. 23, 2018

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A report released Tuesday from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group found toys on store shelves that violate federal safety standards or could present a choking hazard to small children. (Nov. 24)
AP

Just having dangerous toys at home doesn't cause your insurance rate to rise, but . . . .(Photo: Thinkstock)

Remember lawn darts? Back in the 1950s, these innocent-looking toys began appearing in toy and discount stores, much to the delight of kids and adults everywhere. Lawn darts (or Jarts, as they were sometimes called) were simple toys, consisting of a metal tube with a point at the end, and brightly-colored fins (what could possibly go wrong…). Players would place a plastic ring somewhere in the yard and try to throw the lawn darts into the circle.

It turned out that the toys were not so innocuous; kids often ended up on the business end of the darts, which were eerily similar to ancient, deadly weapons of war. It wasn’t long before children ended up at emergency rooms with darts sticking out of them, and some died. In 1970, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned them from sale in toy stores.

After a series of long and costly legal battles, lawn darts were finally removed from U.S. markets in 1988, but they continued to live on, as it’s not illegal to possess them, only to sell or import them in the U.S. Some subcultures continue to celebrate the lawn darts.

Bill Moak(Photo: Sarah Warnock/Clarion Ledger)

Every year, toys are sold that result in deaths, injuries, chokings, burns, poisonings and an array of other types of risks. The rogues’ gallery of historically dangerous toys included Sky Rangers radio-controlled planes, which had a nasty habit of exploding; Moon Shoes, a sort of mini-trampoline for your feet that were made from sharp metal shards; and who could forget Creepy Crawlers (I had a set and loved them), which used a liquid rubber that had to be melted on a very hot tray, then poured into a metal mold to make all kinds of rubber insects. Unfortunately, a lot of kids got burned in the process.

Of course, just about any toy could be dangerous; older generations played with wooden toys painted with lead paint, or various types of fireworks and pointy things. Most all these kids survived, perhaps getting tougher by riding in cars without seat belts, running along behind mosquito-spray trucks, riding bikes without bike helmets and swimming just after eating.

Still, kids end up the ER every year after discovering the hidden dangers in their toys. For the past 33 years, the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups have been giving us lists of each year’s dangerous toys.

This year’s report (http://bit.ly/2KpvlJq) found toys on many Christmas lists could be harmful to your kids’ health, safety and well-being. For example, the report found toxic amounts of boron in various “slime” products. Boron can cause nausea, vomiting, long-term reproductive health problems and other health issues.

Here are some other hazards highlighted by U.S. PIRG:

Choking. Many toys contain small parts that can be swallowed by small kids and cause choking. Balloons are particularly dangerous, and are required to be sold with choking hazard warnings. But PIRG checked on Amazon.com and found that nearly nine of 10 balloons sold on the site lacked the required warnings. And PIRG warned about the popular “LOL Surprise” (collectible dolls with mix-and-match accessories) and Hatchimals, which often contain very small parts that could be swallowed.

Magnets. Toys containing magnets are always popular, and big sellers around the holidays. But there’s a dangerous side to magnets; if swallowed, they can not only cause a choking hazard, but have been known to perforate intestinal walls as they make their way through kids’ digestive systems. Today’s “rare-earth” magnets are much more powerful than the average refrigerator magnet, and can attract other magnets and metal objects from some distance, increasing the dangers.

Privacy-invasive “smart” toys. PIRG called out the makers of Wonder Workshop’s Dash robot and tablet-type devices, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire HD kids’ edition, which allegely have collected and shared kids’ personal information with third parties.

“No one should worry about whether or not the toy they’re buying is toxic or dangerous. But in 2018, we’re still finding hazards in some of the most popular toys. Toy manufacturers must do better to ensure their products are safe before they end up in children’s hands and mouths,” said Adam Garber, consumer watchdog for U.S. PIRG.